AAVE Trip BLOG » Ultimate Hawaii
August 6, 2008
A Big Island Aloha from UH2B
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Summer Friendships!
Aloha friends and families! We are back to civilization after five days of wilderness exploration in the lush rainforests of Waipio and Waimanu valleys. Through the cultural exchange with Alberta and Jason we learned the traditions of the historic Hawai’ian people. We husked and shaved coconuts by hand to create Boot-Boot, a traditional dessert, which we have shared with those who have provided us with a rich Hawai’ian experience. We are all proud of each other for completing the 24-mile trek and have grown closer to one another as a group. We are exceptionally proud of our team effort in creating a zip-line system for getting all of our backpacks across the river to Waimanu. We are all excited to start surfing the wonderful waves around Kona. We send our aloha love from the Big Island.
~Forest & Lizz, and, of course: Jake, Katy, Alex, Felix, Sarah, Siena, Morgan, Brittany, Sydnee, Matthew, David, Andi, and Maddy
UH2A - Aloha!
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Aloha from the Big Island of Hawaii!
Done with our backpack! Whew! Wow what a trip that was! After hiking through the diverse ecosystems of the Valleys, ranging from pine forests to a picture I swear is straight out of Fern Gully, we arrived at our campsite in Waimanu Valley. But instead of glorious sun, we were greeted with a miniature tropical rainshower! It rained for 14 straight hours! Everyone took it in stride and waited it out til the next day we were finally welcomed with sunny skies and the pristine black sand beach of the absolutely gorgeous Waimanu Valley! And we were even given a little surprise. When we were finally able to poke our heads out of the tent, an additional 7 waterfalls had formed in the depths of the valley giving us a sight that only a few eyes have ever seen! Amazing! And after partaking in our cultural exchange with a local Hawaiian family in Waipio Valley making a traditional Hawaiian desert used for ceremonies (mmmmm….) we hiked our last little bit out and made our way over to the West side of the island. Everyone did an absolutely amazing job on the hike and worked awesome together to push each other throughout the entire 6-day backpack! Believe it or not we have hit the half-way point of the trip and we already feel how much we are going to miss everyone! 
The Valley works wonders on campers and leaders alike and now we all have reached that special bond together, knowing this is a summer none of us will ever forget! Now we are getting into the Hawaiian vibe of beaches, surfing, kayaking and sailing as we will be enjoying the sun from all viewpoints for our last 10 days! So, surfs up dude and hang ten! We’ll catch ya later!
Aloha!
Adam and Kate
UH2A Ohana (family)
July 29, 2008
Aloha from UH2A!!
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Aloha Ohana (family)!!
We’ve all arrived safely in Hawaii and have started our adventure together!! Our first few days have been at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. For our service project we planted native trees in the nettle family (non-stinging of course)!! We’ve learned tons about the local ecosystem and what we can do to help preserve the land. Our second day we rode bikes around an active volcano - most people run in the opposite direction when a volcano is erupting, but we got as close as safely possible for a once in a lifetime experience! Later that evening we drove to the ocean and got to see lava erupting 100 feet into the sky and flowing into the water. What an amazing first couple of days!! The group is really forming a great bond and we are having a blast together. Everyone is looking forward to our hike into Waipio (and then Waimanu) Valley that begins tomorrow afternoon. We’ll be back next week with some pics of our trek!
Aloha!
Kate, Adam, and all of UH2A!!
Ultimate Hawaii 2B - Camping in Paradise!
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Hello parents and friends!
We have come together as our island family of Maddy, Alex, Katie, Brittany, Felix, Morgan, David, Sydnee, Matthew, Jake, Andi, Sarah and Siena. We have had a blast exploring the tropical reefs of the Kohala coast snorkeling and sailing on an ocean catamaran. Yesterday Captain Kiko took us on an adventure in Hilo bay aboard his polynesian double canoe sailboat. Today we hit up the large white sand beach at Hapuna. Everyday is full of smiles and friendships are growing stronger. We are getting pumped for our next adventure of kayaking as we stay at a Kona coffee farm! We send all our love and aloha from the Big Island!
The UH2B Crew
July 24, 2008
UH1B group picture
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July 23, 2008
Parents thrilled with Hawaiian experience
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Dear Abbott and the entire AAVE team,
We could not be more thrilled about Hannah’s experience on UH1C! She came home with incredible stories and bonded amazingly well with all the other kids and the two FANTASTIC leaders–Chris & Liz. Her pictures probably don’t do justice to the experience, but at least we can get a sense of what she saw and did. Hannah had not been away from home for more than 3 nights before this and she is now confident and proud of herself for accomplishing this. Thank you for running such fabulous programs and hiring such terrific role models.
Best regards,
Susan and Ed
July 18, 2008
Back to Civilization UH1B
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Hurray! We returned from our backpacking adventure, an 18-mile round trip trek from Waipio to Waimanu, feeling incredibly proud of our endurance, spirits, and physical accomplishment. The trail took us through diverse scenic routes, up and down valleys, gazing at waterfalls, and along the coast. Upon return to Alberta and Jason’s orchard, we feasted on fresh Tilapia and taro, caught, gutted, and fried by Ben, Jamie, and Danny. “This is the best meal of our life!” was a phrase heard repeatedly that night! In addition, we celebrated Melissa’s 15th birthday with brownie cakes, smores, and glow bracelets on our last night in Waipio Valley. Feeling fresh, clean and invigorated, we are excited to tackle our final week in Hawaii, with sailing, surfing, and biking the volcanoes on our adgenda. Stay tuned!
UH1C - Aloha - Hurray!
Posted by Chris in : Ultimate Hawaii , add a comment
We returned from our backpacking adventure, an 18-mile round trip trek from Waipio to Waimanu, feeling incredibly proud of our endurance, spirits, and physical accomplishment. The trail took us through an amazingly diverse scenic route, up and down valleys, gazing at waterfalls, and along the coast. Upon return to Alberta and Jason’s orchard, we feasted on fresh Tilapia caught, gutted, and fried by Ben, Jamie, and Danny and taro. “This is the best meal of our life!” was a phrase heard repeatedly that night!
In addition, we celebrated Melissa’s 15th birthday with brownie cakes, smores, and glow bracelets on our last night in Waipio Valley.
Feeling fresh, clean and invigorated, we are excited to tackle our final week in Hawaii, with sailing, surfing, and biking the volcanoes on our agenda. Stay tuned!
Mahalo, Chris from AAVE Island
July 14, 2008
Hawaii 1C - Picture of the group biking
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July 9, 2008
Aloha - UH1C
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One week done with big smiles, nice tans and getting to love the “Aloha” live style.
We have have been a busy group from outrigger canoeing, biking around the Volcano National Park, hiking into an old crater, enjoying a beautiful swim at a green sand beach, having a 4th of July cook out, watching lava meet the ocean at night, kayaking on the south coast, staying at a glorious coffee farm and today, relaxing on the ocean and sailing with great friends. We have had a blast, and continue on the adventure. We send our love home and can’t wait to share the fun and exciting stories.